Aguero, Ederson, Benjamin Mendy, Rodrigo, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez all return to the starting XI.
Zack Steffen, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Raheem Sterling, Oleks Zinchenko and Bernardo make way.
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TEAMS
City: Ederson, Walker, Mendy, Dias, Laporte, Rodrigo, Fernandinho (c), De Bruyne, Mahrez, Jesus, Aguero
Substitutes: Carson, Stones, Aké, Sterling, Gündogan, Bernardo, Torres, Cancelo, Foden
Leicester: Schmeichel, Fofana, Evans, Castagne, Amartey, Ndidi, Tielemans, Albrighton, Pérez, Iheanacho, Vardy
Substitutes: Maddison, Ward, Choudhury, Ricardo Pereira, Mendy, Praet, Thomas, Daley-Campbell, Suengchitthawon
FORMATION
City could go 3-5-2 this afternoon with Fernandinho joining Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte as the central back three and Mendy and Kyle Walker acting as wing-backs.
If that is the case, Rodrigo will pin the midfield with Mahrez and De Bruyne in front of him and Aguero and Jesus up front.
Or, could we be set for a 4-3-3, with Walker and Mendy in their usual full-back roles alongside Dias and Laporte while Rodrigo, Fernandinho and De Bruyne make up the central trio and Jesus and Mahrez wide alongside Aguero?
We’ll find out soon…
CITY ERR ON SIDE OF CAUTION?
Given the personnel, it looks as though Pep Guardiola wants to keep things fairly tight against the Foxes.
The 5-2 home defeat to Brendan Rodgers’ side earlier in the campaign was a chastening 90 minutes, but one City learned much from.
Four defenders and two holding midfielders suggest a more cautious approach on this occasion and that may be a wise move against a dangerous Leicester attack.
MISFIRING VARDY A MAJOR THREAT
With only one goal in his last 16 games, Jamie Vardy has endured a rare drought over the past few months.
But he is one goal away from unleashing his frustration in full, and City need to make sure it is against some other team.
The concern is that Vardy enjoys playing against City having scored nine goals in 15 appearances against us.
That includes two hat-tricks and is in spite of having won only four times in those 15 meetings!
Keeping the Foxes’ talisman quiet for this latest meeting will go a long way to ensuring City leave the King Power Stadium with a result of some kind...
WATCH: City’s best celebrations in 2020/21
STATS & FACTS
- City have won eight successive away league fixtures, scoring a total of 22 goals, and conceded just three.
- Pep Guardiola‘s side have won 25 of their past 26 matches in all competitions, including a club record 14 consecutive away fixtures.
- City have conceded just eight top-flight away goals this season, four fewer than any other side.
- Gabriel Jesus, who turns 24 on Sunday, has four goals in his five Premier League games versus Leicester.
- Riyad Mahrez has been directly involved in four goals in his last three league appearances against his former side, scoring two goals and assisting two more.
- Sergio Aguero has scored 257 goals in 384 games for City and has the best minutes-per-goal ratio in Premier League history, averaging a goal every 108 minutes.
- Leicester are vying to complete a league double over City for the first time since the 1986-87 season.
- The Foxes, who won 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium in September, can become the first team to score six top-flight goals in a season against a side managed by Pep Guardiola.
- Leicester’s last top-flight victory against a side who began the day top of the table came at Manchester United in January 1998.
- They are winless in 15 subsequent Premier League games against the league leaders, losing 13.
- The Foxes have lost six home league matches this season - Everton are the only top-half side with a worse record.
- Jamie Vardy has eight goals in nine top-flight games against Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City, twice as many as any other player has scored against sides managed by the Spaniard.
- Vardy, who has just one goal in his past 16 appearances, has scored two of his three Premier League hat-tricks against Guardiola‘s City.
